Before India’s World Cup campaign commences on October 8th against Australia, they are set to face England and the Netherlands at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati for their initial warm-up matches. These matches serve as crucial preparations for the Men in Blue, who aim to end their decade-long ICC trophy drought. All 15 members of the squad will have the opportunity to participate in these matches.
It’s important to note that the matches between India and England and the Netherlands are unofficial warm-up games. Consequently, the scores and results from these matches will not be included in official records. Warm-up games allow teams to field any number of players they desire. India can select their batting lineup from all available batters in the squad, and every bowler within the squad is eligible to bowl during these warm-up matches. However, each bowler is restricted to a maximum of 10 overs, as is the norm in regular matches.
Unfortunately, the match between India and England was abandoned due to rain. Despite India winning the toss and choosing to bat first, the game couldn’t take place due to the waterlogged outfield. It’s worth mentioning that rain has also disrupted warm-up games for the 2023 World Cup in Hyderabad and Thiruvananthapuram.
Notably, before the match, Ravichandran Ashwin hinted that this might be his final ODI World Cup appearance.
India’s World Cup squad comprises the following players:
- Rohit Sharma (c)
- Hardik Pandya (vc)
- Shubman Gill
- Virat Kohli
- Shreyas Iyer
- KL Rahul
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Shardul Thakur
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Mohammed Siraj
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Mohammed Shami
- Ravichandran Ashwin
- Ishan Kishan
- Suryakumar Yadav
